Damage Classification of Sacral Architecture After the Earthquakes in Croatia

Croatia was hit by two devastating earthquakes in 2020. Almost 80,000 buildings were damaged, several thousand of them severely. The total number of affected buildings in the cultural heritage sector includes 192 cultural institutions, 13 state cultural heritage buildings and 159 religious’ buildings after the March 2020 earthquake. Following the Petrinja earthquake in December 2020, 442 immovable cultural properties were damaged, including 124 cultural heritage buildings (28%) that suffered severe structural damage. The largest number of damaged cultural heritage buildings concerns sacred buildings, mainly churches and chapels. In this paper, a brief overview of the damage in the cultural sector after the earthquakes in Croatia is presented. A classification of the damage to both individual cultural properties and buildings in heritage zones in the affected cities is provided. In addition, special emphasis is placed on sacred architecture and damage to churches and chapels in earthquake-affected regions. The damage patterns are presented through several case studies. The condition assessment after an earthquake and the definition of the mechanical properties of masonry elements are briefly explained using several case studies.